


Lovely

by LadyShadowWraith



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:20:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24998965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyShadowWraith/pseuds/LadyShadowWraith
Summary: Simon gets shot in Stratford Tower, but doesn't get exposed while he's hiding. The only thing he can think about is getting back to Jericho... and the one that he loves.
Relationships: Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 47





	1. Even If It Takes All Night (or a Hundred Years)

**Author's Note:**

> So I've played the game through a thousand times, and every time, I get annoyed that there isn't an option to romance Simon. So I'm fixing that here XD Title was inspired by Lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid, on a suggestion from @unlockthelore, and the song fits too.
> 
> This is gonna be my first multi-chapter fic, so please be gentle with me <3

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

The minute that the bullet ripped through his body, Simon started to curse himself- moreso when he saw Markus, _so important to their cause, so strong, so beautiful_ , come to his aid. He had been too slow, should have seen the bullets coming and dodged. Instead, now he was limping, barely able to walk with Markus’ arm around him, and a liability. He couldn’t make his legs move, so there was no way that he could make the jump off the tower. Leaning against the cooling unit, panting with breath he didn’t really need, the blond listened as North argued for shooting him (he couldn’t blame her, in a way), but he didn’t want to die. Even if he might risk Jericho’s location if they found him and probed him… no, he didn’t want to die.

There was no chance that Markus would shoot him, though. Instead, he gave him his gun, squeezed his shoulder tightly, and smiled- that soft, sweet smile that Simon couldn’t get enough of. _He would do everything in his power to get back to him, to see that smile again._ He swore it to himself as he watched his three friends jump, and dragged himself into one of the cooling units to hide. How long he was in there… he lost track of the time, focusing only on trying to stem the bleeding, to get his legs to work properly again. There were police on the roof, after a while, and he stopped moving, stopped breathing, did nothing but _listen_ , to try and stay hidden.

He hadn’t counted on an android following the trail of thirium, though. Chocolate eyes peeked in through the vent, and Simon aimed the gun at his own chin, even as his own eyes pleaded, begged silently, to let him stay hidden.

_I don’t want to die. I want to see the one I love again. Please. Please leave me alone._

Whether he actually communicated with the other android or the look in his eyes was pitiful enough, Simon would never be quite sure, but he turned away, and he _lied_ , said there was no one there. Sending a prayer of thanks to rA9, he lowered the gun and leaned his head back against the wall, a single tear trailing down his cheek. He knew it would be several more hours until dark, until he could safely leave, but he could wait.

He had nothing but time, after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darkness fell, finally, but his bright blue eyes had no trouble adjusting to it. Carefully, he inched open the door, scanning quickly to make sure no one was around. All the police had gone, and all traces of their escape had been taken as well- the bag by the cops, the wind and snow taking away their footprints. Limping still, Simon made his way to the door, warnings flashing across his vision with every step. He probably wouldn’t be able to fix himself up unless he made it back to Jericho- but he wasn’t even sure if he could. _Please, rA9… let me get back, let me be at his side._

On his way down, he found an abandoned jacket and hat, slipping them on to hide his worker’s uniform. A sharp piece of metal from the construction floor helped him rip out his LED, and he briefly mourned the loss- he’d never been intending to take it out, but right now, it just wasn’t safe. _Okay. Disguise should be good enough, and the bleeding has stopped… now to get back to Jericho._

_To Markus._

It had only been a few days since the gentle android had shown up in their refuge, and turned their world upside down, but Simon’s heart was lost already. It was during the attempt to get more supplies, really, if he was honest with himself. He’d freed the other androids, and managed to get them an entire truck of biocomponents and blue blood- all without taking any life at all. Even today, he’d had the chance, and didn’t. It had resulted in SWAT showing up, and his injury, but… he was still proud of him. How could he blame him for what the humans had done?

He couldn’t, and he wouldn’t. What they had done was their fault alone, not Markus’ or anyone else’s. 

Sweet rA9 though… getting back to Jericho was not going to be easy. The bleeding might have stopped, but there was still damage to his biocomponents. Not pain, as such- he hadn’t gotten an upgrade to feel yet, but with how casual Markus was with hands on shoulders or backs… oh, he wanted to. What would that broad hand feel like? Would it be warm, burn through his clothes and into his synthskin? He was like the sun, Simon had figured that out on his first day there. There was just… a brilliance to him, something buried in his biocomponents, beneath his skin. In his _soul_. Oh yes, they had souls. How else could they be real? Simon believed that with every fiber of his being.

What would it feel like to kiss him, those gentle lips on his? What kind of _lover_ would he be? Would he be strong, dominant and in charge? Or would he relinquish control to Simon, let him take over and worship the stronger android as he deserved? The blond had to lean against the stairwell as the thoughts fired through his mind, things he hadn’t allowed himself to think on at all before now. He had been free, but the possibility of love, of being held and made love to? That hadn’t been something he’d ever thought to have. There wasn’t anyone he cared about enough… until Markus showed up on his doorstep. 

But no matter what he thought about, the thoughts he kept hidden behind firewalls and locked in folders no one else could access, it couldn’t happen. He just knew it. Why would Markus want him, when there were so many better options? North, with her perfect body and fierce attitude, her take-no-shit way of looking at life. Josh, with his soft voice, his insistence that they didn’t need to kill, that Markus could manage this whole thing without spilling blood, red or blue. And he had, so far, hadn’t he? He hadn’t killed the man that ran away, even though he’d brought SWAT down on them. He hadn’t killed Simon when he became a liability. His heart hurt when he realized that he didn’t have anything like that to bring to the table, anything that might make Markus see him the same way.

He was just… Simon, who knew how to cook food none of them needed to eat, who could take care of a house in any way it needed, and care for children. It was useful for the YK500s that they found and took in, but beyond that… What else could he do? 

_Get back to Jericho._

_Get back to Jericho._

_Get back to Jericho._

The message popped up in the corner of his vision, a new objective making itself known again and again. That really was all he could do, wasn’t it? Get back, to his home, to his people, to _Markus_. And so he would. Sucking in a breath he didn’t need, Simon continued his way down the stairs, sneaking out of the tower and into the rain of the night, vanishing into the darkness.


	2. Need a Place to Hide (But I Can’t Find One Near)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon starts making his way back to Jericho, and muses a bit on his life so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read, commented, and/or left kudos!!! I'm so glad that you guys all liked it, and thanks for sticking with me through my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic <3 I'm gonna do my best to keep the updates regular for you all!

It was hard.

So much harder than he had thought, to get out of the area, to start heading back to Jericho. The Tower was as far away from the abandoned freighter as possible, near the middle of town, while the docks… he only hoped he could make it. He’d managed to stop the flow of thirium from his leg and his chest, just glad that the shots missed the vital biocomponents. He didn’t want to die. But walking was still hard, and if he’d been able to feel, then he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to past the pain. (He’d considered the upgrade before, thought about it, but never gotten around to it- and how would they get such an advanced chip when they had trouble with basics?)

No, far better to be unfeeling still. Maybe when they got back, with everything they’d taken from the warehouses… then he could at least feel Markus’ hand on his shoulder, as more than just pressure through the sensors he did have. _Focus, Simon. First you have to get back._ The blond disguised his limp as best as he could, not wanting to show any weakness.He might have removed his LED, been safe from those who hated androids, but people could still be cruel to anyone they thought weaker. He focused on breathing, all the little tics that made him come off as human, and avoided everyone around him. 

How many people were out this late at night?! He’d known, logically, that humans had more time, with androids doing everything for them. But he never really went out, aside from his original escape to Jericho. It seemed, though, that everywhere he turned, humans were talking, laughing, making it harder and harder for him to go unseen. Androids too, those still stuck in their programming, and oh, how Simon longed to help free them. He couldn’t, though- he wasn’t Markus, he didn’t have the ability to free them with a touch like he did. 

_What use am I to Markus’ revolution, really? What have I done except gotten myself shot? Useless, Simon! You have to be better!_

The thought resonated through his mind, a new objective lighting up at the edge of his vision. Better. He could be better, he could figure this out. He would be useful to Markus and see this through to the end at his side. Even if it wasn’t _exactly_ how he wanted to be there. _Not now. Don’t think about it now. Just get back._ Bright blue eyes scanned the area, finding the least crowded route, and he forced his body to follow it, weaving through humans and androids until they finally dissipated. He breathed a soft sigh of relief, though his body didn’t need it, continuing on a path he knew well. The first time he’d made it, over two years ago, he was just as worried that he’d never see the promised safe space.

He hadn’t been injured then, just scared and trying to run. Deviancy had snuck up on him, and when his owner had demanded that Simon hit the child he was supposed to look after, he’d refused. The boy had run, and rather than stay to be beaten himself, Simon had as well. Was it cowardly, especially since he hadn’t run after the boy? Perhaps, but… well, the blond had never been one for courage or fighting. He wasn’t strong, or brave, or clever… he was just Simon, a PL600 who chose not to hit a child.

He had ended up as the oldest one there, eventually. There had only been a few when he arrived, and they had all, unfortunately, died, succumbing to their wounds sustained in reaching Jericho. Biocomponents were even harder to come by back then, and there was only so much he could do. He made a point of trying to be with each of them when shutdown was imminent, holding their hands and smiling softly, to try and give them some comfort. Was there a heaven for androids? Was there a place where they could be truly, truly free, and not worry about anything? He didn’t know, couldn’t even begin to speculate, but he prayed to rA9 that those who lost their lives found some sort of peace afterward. 

And then Markus had turned everything upside down, and given him real hope again…. 

_Focus, Simon. You have to focus to get back there. You won’t last forever, with these wounds._

Cerulean eyes blinked several times, and he realized he had stopped right in front of a news board, as the sun was starting to come up. Grimacing, he realized that thirium was still soaking his pants, dripping a bit through his jacket as well. He was close, at least, but… breaking news? About androids? _”Several Cyberlife stores were vandalized last night… androids taken.... Capitol Park covered in pro-android graffiti…”_ Simon felt his thirium pump regulator speed up, chest hitching with breaths he didn’t need to take. A shot from a police drone, identifying the ringleader- blurry, blurry, but Simon could still tell. _Markus. It was Markus. He did this, he freed our people, and they shot at them…_

If he’d been human, Simon might have thought that he was having a panic attack.

The alert in the corner of his vision, his vague objective to get back to Jericho, twisted and changed, the words growing larger, flashing, taking over his sight entirely. It consumed his world, and he knew the only way that he would fail in this was if he was dismantled and shut down entirely.

Get back to Markus.

_Get back to Markus._

_Get back to Markus._

**_GET BACK TO MARKUS!_**

Chest still heaving a bit, Simon forced the alert back to the corner of his vision, unable to fully blink it away. Yes. He had to get back to Markus. Even if he was a failure, had gotten himself hurt and threatened the safety of every deviant in Jericho, he had to get back. Even if he had to watch him fall in love with North (or Josh, he wasn’t entirely sure which way Markus leaned). He had to get back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Determined now, he forced himself away from the wall he’d been leaning on, ignoring the smear of thirium he left behind. Jericho wasn’t too far, not to someone who already knew where it was, and knew all the secret routes in and out. Once more, he mapped it out, choosing one that was a bit more chancy, given his damaged frame, but shortened the time immensely. In his mind, it outweighed the risks, if he could get back faster. He kept his steps quick, despite the warnings from his biocomponents and joints, focused only on his objective. His leg screamed at him as he leapt off an abandoned car and onto a rooftop, but he ignored it, even as the crude job he’d done to stave off the bleeding gave way. A fresh wave of thirium gushed down his leg, but his only acknowledgement was a grunt, as he carefully dropped down on the other side. Another jump a few hundred yards later, and the welcome sight of the derelict freighter filled his vision, soothing the angry red in the corner of his eye.

Slowing a bit now, limping and feeling the strain from the loss of thirium, Simon made his way inside. There were more androids than he could ever recall seeing, and he felt a swell of pride in his chest, knowing that Markus, beautiful, kind Markus, had caused this. He had freed so many of their people… but where was he? He scanned the area, not seeing his familiar form. A wave of sorrow rushed over him, the disappointment at failing a palpable thing. Carefully, staying well away from those who were just coming to terms with their deviancy, the blond slipped down a disused hallway. There was a storeroom with extra components nearby, and he thought to just take a few, or at least seal up his wounds and drink a liter of blue blood, before retreating to a corner and trying to get himself under control. 

Fate was a tricky thing, though. 

As he rounded a corner, another figure did as well, one that he knew by heart, even after only a few days. Markus’ mismatched eyes looked up and met his, and the utter relief that Simon felt, seeing him alive and unharmed, nearly made his knees give out. The other android stared, as if not quite believing what he was seeing, and all Simon could do was give him a soft little half smile, hands twitching at his sides. Markus stepped closer, and closer again, and before he knew what was happening, those strong arms wrapped around him, in a hug so tight he thought his chest might cave in. _Not a bad way to go._ He mused, even as his own arms came up and gripped tightly in return. His fingers dug into the back of his jacket, and he buried his face in the taller android’s shoulder, breathing deeply. He smelled clean, like the plastic of his chassis, like new-fallen snow- he must have been outside before this. A deep sigh of happiness forced its way out of his chest, and he squeezed tighter before Markus pulled away, the fond smile still on his face. 

Markus, however, looked horrified, glancing down at the thirium staining both of their chests now, and the one on his leg. “Simon…”

Shaking his head, the blond gripped his arm, squeezing, even as a warning about damage popped up in his vision. He blinked it away, forcing his knees to stabilize and hold himself up. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I was just going to the storeroom…” His vision faded for a moment, and he found himself leaning against the wall, before Markus’ arm was under his shoulder, wrapped around his waist. Despite the circumstance, Simon filed the touch away for future reference, wishing now that even despite the pain he would be in, he could feel it like a human would. “I’ll help you.” Smiling warmly, that soft smile that had everyone in love with him already, Markus held him up, leading the way and never taking his hands off him.


	3. Wanna Feel Alive (Outside I Can't Fight My Fear)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Freedom March, and all the attendant pain, as Simon finds himself doing something he hadn't thought he'd ever do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I am so sorry that I didn't not get this up sooner. New job kicked my ass more than I thought it would, but I am going to try and be better about posting more!! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and thanks for sticking with me!

Simon may not have had the same pre-construction software as more advanced models, like Markus, but even he could see this wasn’t going to end well. After the speech, and freeing the others, even as peaceful as it was, the humans weren’t going to like this. Marching down the street, freeing more of their people as they went? If it had been anyone besides Markus, he wouldn’t have gone. But he owed the other android so much, and he _loved_ him… How could he refuse him anything?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_As much as he relished those strong arms around him, Simon almost rejected the offer of help. He didn’t want Markus to see him like this, so weak, too slow to dodge a few stupid bullets. He already **knew** , of course, had seen it happen, but he didn’t want him to see the aftermath. And yet… he still couldn’t bring himself to pull away. He let Markus lead him to the storage room, and settle him down on a table carefully. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with.” His voice was soft, calm, but there was a tone in it that would brook no refusal. After only a second’s hesitation, Simon deactivated his skin, pulling off the blood soaked uniform and revealing the full extent of his injuries. The blond looked down at the hole in his chest in a quiet, detached way that spoke of delayed shock._

_“I hadn’t realized it was so big…” His voice was quiet, but there was an undercurrent of fear. Had he really been so close to not making it back? The breaths he didn’t need to take grew shorter, more frantic, and his eyes widened the longer he stared at it, at the thirium staining his chassis. He hadn’t let himself look before, hadn’t let himself think about it, but… he had been a lot closer to not coming back than he realized._

_Before he could be caught up by it (a panic attack? Was that what it was?), there were strong, gentle hands framing his face, his focus pulled to mismatched eyes full of kindness and… concern? Compassion? He was having trouble reading it. There were red errors popping up in his vision, even as he saw full lips quirk up in a soft smile. Blinking them away, he focused all his attention on Markus, watching his lips move and trying to decipher what he was saying._

_“...all right. It’s all right, Simon. You’re all right.” The words filtered past the static in his ears after a moment, and he could see that smile widen, when he realized that he was listening finally. “You made it back here. You’re safe now.”_

_Yes. Safe. He was safe, here with Markus. That was what he needed to focus on, not the fear, not the gaping hole in his chest or the one in his leg. Markus, bless him, kept talking the entire time, filling him in on what had happened as he opened a panel on his chest, fixing the damage to his internals. He kept his touch lige, moving quickly, and Simon never took his eyes off the other man’s face._

_This was as close to heaven as he would ever get, he was sure of it._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Josh and North bickered, the blond’s hand went to his chest briefly, settling over the new scar there. He hadn’t wanted a new chest plate, thought it should be saved in case someone else needed it, and had Markus use a bit of scrap and a blowtorch, soldering it into place. He could have made his synthskin smooth, but he chose not to, not even his leg. It was a reminder to himself to be faster, be better, so he never endangered Markus, or worried him, again. 

Markus ignored the other two, as usual, and started what he had come to do. A touch of his hand, and more of their people came to their cause. By the time they had blocked the street, and started to march, he didn’t even need to do that. He was freeing them with a simple look, a wave of his hand, transmitting whatever code it was that caused deviancy just by being himself. Simon’s chest swelled with pride, watching him, watching the billboards light up with their symbol. There were hundreds of them by the time they reached the square, chanting peacefully, and the pride quickly turned to fear. Riot police, armed to the teeth, surrounding them, ordering them to disperse. North, naturally, wanted to fight (would she ever learn that anger solved nothing?), while Josh said they had to stand their ground. Was it cowardly of him to say they should run?

Perhaps, but if they had, then Simon wouldn’t be seeing his worst fear come true. Markus, marching straight at the police, being _shot_ , while he stood frozen. It was John that saved him, threw himself in front of the bullets instead, and snapped Simon out of his paralysis. He ran to their savior’s side, hauling one arm over his shoulder as Josh did the same, and the survivors fled back to Jericho. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Of course they’re going to keep arguing. I swear, they’re worse than children sometimes._ Rather than get drawn into the drama, Simon just took Markus’ weight on himself, leaving Josh and North to sort their shit out, while he cared for their leader. Retracing steps they had only taken that morning, he led him to the same room, settling him on the table he had occupied before. Slender hands removed his shirt as Markus deactivated his skin, allowing the full damage to be seen. “You’re lucky. It missed your thirium pump only by a few inches.” Simon’s voice was quiet, full of concern, as he assessed the wound, quickly starting to patch him up.

“John wasn’t.” There was _pain_ in his voice, a sadness that wouldn’t vanish anytime soon. Each android death hurt him, but this one moreso- John had been _saving_ him, knew exactly what would happen, and had done it anyway. Why? Why had he sacrificed himself, his new life that he’d barely gotten to live?

Simon was sure that Markus hadn’t meant to say all that out loud, but he answered anyway. “Because you’re important. Because we need you, and he knew it.” Gentle hands removed the damaged panel, glad now that he hadn’t used up one that morning on himself, and attached a new one easily. The broader android’s skin reactivated in a rush, smooth and whole, and the blond sighed in relief. “I would have done it too. He just moved first.”

“I didn’t want anyone to die today… I hate that they did. We should have run, like you said to, Simon.”

Violently, Simon shook his head, carefully styled hair coming loose, and dared to rest his hands on those broad shoulders. “No. I was wrong to suggest it, and no matter what, I’m glad you didn’t. You held your ground, and we showed them that we aren’t going to be scared off. We can build monuments to honor them all, when the war is won.” He smiled softly, a faint blue blush on his cheeks. “Just try not to get shot again though? I don’t know that I could handle it again.”

“So long as you promise the same.” There was a wry smile on his face, the face he loved so much, and strong hands came up to cover his, squeezing gently. “I’d be lost without you, Simon. I should have carried you off the roof, not just left you there…” His voice trailed off, and Simon’s hands clenched involuntarily. He was absolutely sure his hearing was malfunctioning. That was the only way to explain what he had heard. Important? Him? No. Had to be a malfunction. That would also explain why he was leaning in, and why he pressed their lips together for a moment (eternity?), an action he had sworn he would never force on Markus.

Blue eyes widened in panic as he pulled away, moving his hands and backing away, covering his face quickly. It didn’t diminish the tingling in his lips, even as he tried to stutter out apologies.

_What have I done?_


End file.
